Shortly before Summer Adventures at Fair Park opened its gates, State Fair of Texas President Errol McKoy told the Dallas City Council that it would serve as "a good alternative to Six Flags for all our citizens." But, in the end, it wasn't: There won't be a Summer Adventures at Fair Park this summer or any other.

"There are a lot of choices out there for summer entertainment -- a lot -- and those are tough to break," says Sue Gooding, spokesperson for the State Fair of Texas.

"We used social media, we did advertising, we even cut our rates in half hoping there at the end we could introduce it to a lot of people," says Gooding. "But this just wasn't a viable opportunity this summer to make that work. We were passionate about it. State Fair employees put their heart and their souls into this."

Gooding spent Tuesday morning calling season pass-holders and telling them to expect refunds.

The State Fair spent $30 million on Summer Adventures, a fraction of which went toward electrical needs in a Midway that's dark most of the year. And it's not clear, for instance, whether the WaveRider will stick around come fall. But, if nothing else, the Top o' Texas Tower is a welcome addition; it was packed during the State Fair, more so than during Summer Adventures.

In the end, says Gooding, it just wasn't wet or wild enough for folks.

"There are a lot of water features all over the area," Gooding says. "Cities are into their water parks. There's a lot of stuff out there. And there are a lot of camps. We had hoped desperately it would work. We are behind Fair Park, more people are moving into the downtown area, and we were hoping access by light rail would make a difference.